A Little Sweet with the Sour: Florida State Film Review

Before I start this week, I want to take a moment to thank BilldozerVT. All season, he has labored following many a painful football game to upload the game film that we use for analysis. Without his effort, this column would have degenerated into wandering nonsensical thoughts with the occasional reference to some seminal moment in my childhood, like Tim Krumrie's leg snapping in the second 49ers-Bengals Super Bowl or Don Mattingly's seven game home run streak. Please join me in thanking him.

Any hope the Hokies had of getting back into the ACC Coastal Division race evaporated into the cold Blacksburg sky on Thursday night. Perhaps, for the first time all season we saw what should have been for the 2012 Hokies. We saw a dominant defensive front that decimated the Florida State rushing offense, one of the top in the country. We saw an offense that flashed the skills of an elite quarterback, vertical passing, and a read oriented running game that opened holes on occasion with more guile than muscle. We saw a team that should be contending for an ACC title, but instead finds itself meandering its way through the worst season since I bought my first Nirvana cassette tape.

So, how did the Hokies lose this game? The common post game narrative was simple. The Hokies played for a field goal on the final scoring drive instead of being aggressive. Play calling was horrible. The offensive line stunk. The special teams again were anything but special. The secondary finally gave way after being under a tremendous amount of pressure. The film usually confirms some of the narrative, but it also discovers culprits that go beyond it. The facts are, despite all the positives we saw, there is still a poisonous mix of players who are not giving the same level of effort as their teammates, personnel decisions continue to negatively impact performance, and play design concepts that incorporate poor football logic and do not establish key bread and butter principles that lead to the kind of success that a program like Oregon has on a week to week basis.

Defensive Front

My old physics professor told our class to always serve a little sweet with the sour as he handed back our graded tests with a brownie. The Hokies sweet was a dominant defensive line performance that featured a vintage Bud Foster attacking slanting scheme coupled with highlight reel worth performances. Derrick Hopkins was everywhere, beating guards on slants and getting up field, and dropping into coverage. James Gayle, Tyrell Wilson (who played a magnificent game against both the run and pass), Corey Marshall, and Dadi Nicolas used dominant inside leverage to prevent cutbacks. Bruce Taylor and Alonzo Tweedy came off the edge with a violent contain edge rush. It was vintage Virginia Tech from 1995-2003 and Florida State had no answer. Often, the Seminole offensive line never got out of their stance as lanes were taken away, and EJ Manuel was rocked. The blueprint was perfect.

Foster chose to abandon his approach against option/read teams. Against Duke and Clemson, we saw the defensive line play a two-gap scheme by getting into the blocker, shedding them, and making the tackle. Linebackers scraped side-to-side and attempted to clean up the mess. Against Florida State, the d-line either slanted play side or blitzed.

I would imagine that FSU had some tendency that made it relatively easy to call the correct stunts.

4:39–4:44

At the snap, each defensive lineman would stunt quickly across the face of the blocker to the immediate play side gap and then get two yards up field. Bruce Taylor and Alonzo Tweedy would handle contain by lining up wide and getting 5+ yards up field at a 45 degree angle, with the target one yard behind the QB/RB mesh point. Jack Tyler and Kyshoen Jarrett would fill the appropriate gaps. The Hokies in effect created an umbrella up front, outnumbering FSU's blockers 8 to 6. Moving around confused FSU. It was high risk, high reward football, with almost no help if the back broke through the initial line, and the corners and free safety essentially forced to play on islands.

The Hokies used this stunt repeatedly against the Florida State running game, and I don't think I saw FSU break a run against it a single time. It worked against counters, dives, and the option.

6:42–6:47

Nothing worked, except to get those backs in the flat against the Hokie outside linebackers before pressure got to Manuel.

At times, it seemed that the Hokies were in the backfield before the snap. To go with excellent design, the Hokie defenders played with an aggression as a unit that we have not seen all season. EVERY PLAYER who took a snap made plays. Fifth year seniors like Antoine Hopkins and Alonzo Tweedy not only stunted effectively, but then changed directions and made plays.

5:13–5:17

J.R. Collins held up against the run, and was a constant pass rush threat after being "demoted" to defensive tackle. Tyrell Wilson and Corey Marshall both played their best game of the season with The Million Dollar Man finally getting a sack after four QB pressures against Clemson.

12:25–12:32

Dadi Nicolas went from persona non-grata to getting critical snaps as a designated pass rusher in the 3rd and 4th quarter.

Nobody stood out more than Derrick Hopkins and James Gayle. I spent most of the game screaming for Derrick Hopkins, who I will now affectionately call "MANBEARPIG." He was unblockable on interior slants.

7:55–8:01

Zone blitzes on passing downs required him to drop into pass coverage and he made receivers pay. He even delivered a nice cut block on the Donovan Riley interception return (more on that in a moment). James Gayle played like an NFL defensive end, forcing the run, and then getting up field using hand/leverage technique to make plays.

8:02–8:06

Every player on the defensive line except for Antoine Hopkins returns next season. Anything less than prolonged dominance from this group is inexcusable. The wild card, as it has been the last two seasons, is simple. Can Bud Foster use this attacking, slanting design against read-option spread attacks like Clemson, or must he depend on the front four to dominate those teams playing a two-gap scheme?

Hope for the Secondary

The secondary had a mixed evening. Exum, Jarrett, and Bonner had good efforts. Kyle Fuller was solid in run support, but again struggled when forced to play man. Most of FSU's passing game developed off rub plays, or passes to the short flats against slower linebackers. Even with giving up well over 300 yards, and the game winning touchdown, on a clear pick play no less, I think most of us would say that the Hokie secondary had a better effort than we are accustomed to this season.

Perhaps most exciting was a surprise play by freshman Donovan Riley.

3:31–3:40

I am unsure why Exum was not on the field, but Riley found himself at boundary corner as Florida State was driving early in the game. Bud Foster called a Cover 1 Robber coverage, meaning that every Hokie linebacker and secondary player had man coverage responsibilities, except for the robber, who floats free and reads the eyes of the quarterback in an attempt to get an interception.

Unlike most teams, which use safeties as robbers, Foster uses corners, safeties and sometimes linebackers in the role. Here, Riley plays the robber. He drops off at the snap and reads the QB's eyes instead of bailing deep to help Bruce Taylor on a wheel route. The ball deflects up, and Riley was in perfect position to make a huge play. We have seen way too little of that this season. It was a great play by a young player trusting his instincts instead of making the safe read. With Donaldven Manning possibly leaving the program, Riley's growth will be critical as he, Desmond Frye, Davion Tookes, and all incoming freshmen must contribute to have a better secondary next season.

Hope for the Offense

Hope for the offense? Absolutely. We saw Logan Thomas give an inspired effort (even though it was derailed by his inaccuracy). We saw J.C. Coleman and Tony Gregory run with intensity, and Demitri Knowles and Corey Fuller make plays in the passing game. And, as I have screamed all season, when the Hokies had their best offensive line unit on the field (Becton-Via-Farris-Benedict-Painter), the offense moved the ball. They didn't dominate the Florida State front, but with the occasional exception, the line was efficient and created holes. To be honest, even the play calling wasn't that bad.

Unfortunately, execution, personnel decisions by the staff, and play design prevented Tech from sustaining drives. Logan Thomas not only threw two horrible interceptions, but he missed numerous easy throws in the first half that would have kept drives alive while the defense dominated the Seminoles. Marcus Davis has been lampooned repeatedly for his lack of effort blocking, but the failure of all the wide receivers and tight ends limits the ability to get more than 3-4 yards on perfectly executed sweeps and zone plays. David Wang did his best impression of legendary bullfighter Antonio Ordóñez on a disastrous 3rd quarter series right before the Davis fumble.

13:10–13:18

Critical red zone plays featured flawed design or set up that made them easy to defend. The Hokies were their own worst enemy on offense.

I want to start with personnel decisions. Again, Curt Newsome insists on playing David Wang when the offense repeatedly takes a step backwards when he's on the field. I know it seems personal at this point, but with the exception of the final Hokie touchdown drive, Wang was abysmal. The film speaks for itself. Here's a critical play to extend a drive. Third-and-three and O'Cain calls a simple power play.

6:00–6:05

The Hokies catch the Seminoles in the correct front, but Wang gets posted and driven back into the hole. Becton loses his leverage on his turnout, and J.C. Coleman isn't big or strong enough to push the pile forward. This should be an easy first down, but it turns into a punt.

If Newsome stays (which would result in a weekly column by your's truly highlighting even more busts by the front), Wang is going to be the starting guard next year. He must improve his poor footwork and pad level, or next season is going to be just as much of a struggle.

Davis' poor effort is now well documented. Besides the two deep routes where he dropped tough balls, he looked completely checked out in the second half. His blocking was non-existent. His route running looked more like a triple jumper warming up than any kind of serious NFL receiving threat. He played like both of his wrists were broken, and sadly, he wasn't the weakest link on the field. Dyrell Roberts was even worse with his route running. Here, the Hokies run a one man rule route off waggle action to Roberts.

10:44–10:49

Roberts should run a sharp out or comeback route, but he runs a half speed route that seems to be shaped like a banana. He doesn't force the corner to back off, and his cut doesn't give Thomas a target. Thomas probably needs to throw this ball away, but a fifth year senior has to give his QB more help.

Case in point, this sure looks like a catchable touchdown pass. I think Roberts short arms the ball.

6:17–6:23

At the very least he has to lay out for it. The rest of the game, Roberts may as well have been invisible with the exception of a 10 yard gain on a late screen pass. His inactivity makes the rest of the offense easier to defend. This week, it appears that Davis and Roberts have been benched.

Kudos to the staff for that, but the eyes in the booth and on the sideline must recognize the detrimental effect these poor efforts have on the rest of the team and make lineup adjustments in the flow of the game. It is lazy to play either Roberts or Davis just because they are seniors or have the most talent when they are not producing.

Finally, O'Cain and Stinespring are not putting players into a position to succeed. I am a big supporter of Ryan Malleck, but you can't have him blocking defensive ends that are as good as FSU's in space without help on critical blocks. You can't run sweeps and zone plays when defensive backs ignore the wide receiver play action threat and the receivers don't make any kind of effort to block (add Corey Fuller to that list, in spite of his other heroics). J.C. Coleman will be a dynamite player, but in traffic, between the tackles, physics takes over and he can't push the pile.

I will touch on play design in my thoughts on the red zone offense.

Red Zone Offense

Perhaps the most virulent post game criticism of the coaches centered on the play calling in the red zone. When I looked back at the film, I found that the play design and the failure to set up the zone read correctly were much bigger problems than the actual play calls. Let's take a look at the Hokies first-quarter, first-and-goal situation.

On first-and-goal, Tech runs what looks like a read option following motion by Marcus Davis.

2:15–2:22

Upon a second view though, it looks like O'Cain calls this as a direct sweep disguised as a read option based on Painter pulling play side. The tight end is forced to turn out the end. The play requires the wide receiver to seal the linebacker inside, but Fuller doesn't get to his down block on the linebacker. The linebacker fills the hole. Wang pulls, but beaten by the trap man. No gain. Now VT faces second-and-long.

Second-and-goal and it is time to put on our dunce caps, as O'Cain goes back to his fullback clear out route.

2:22–2:30

The design of this play is incredibly flawed. First, O'Cain is calling it on a clear passing down (second-and-long) so the play action isn't effective. Second, the design calls for Malleck, Eric Martin, and Joey Phillips as the primary options (Dyrell Roberts runs to the far corner, out of sight and out of mind). Then, to really make you scream, Phillips is really the only option, as both tight ends drive into their cover guys without looking back at the quarterback until he is already past the line of scrimmage.

Essentially, O'Cain has called a play targeting his worst receiver running a one-man route, but takes three potential blockers out of the play that could be blocking if this is actually a designed QB draw. As expected, the fullback isn't open, and Thomas makes a great run for a touchdown, that of course is negated by a brutal holding penalty by Vinston Painter.

Hokies end up with a field goal, hinting to the awful ending that awaited our hopes for the upset.

Final Scoring Drive

On the final scoring drive, the coaching staff demonstrated that at least they know which offensive line group is the most effective, even if they forget it during the flow of the game. Via replaced Wang, with Benedict at right guard and Farris at center. The kick return by Coleman gave them great field position. The play calling was surprisingly conservative, but the Hokies executed, opening holes for Coleman and Gregory, while finding Coleman, Gregory, and Fuller open against the Seminole safeties and linebackers. The Hokies reached the FSU 13 yard line with less than 4 minutes left, and aspired to not only score, but to milk the clock and prevent the Seminoles from getting the ball back.

On first down, the Hokies offensive line created a nice hole on an inside zone run.

20:43–20:50

Coleman makes the right read, and gets five yards. However, near the goal line, the tailback must have the ability to physically run over the unblocked linebacker, or make him miss. Coleman doesn't have space to make a move, and physics take over. He doesn't have the size to push the pile, and what should have been a 2nd-and-3 is a 2nd-and-5.

On second-and-five, the Hokies again run the inside zone.

20:51–20:56

This time, back side pursuit gets to Coleman. Again, the play is blocked efficiently, but Coleman doesn't have the size to finish. At the same time, Scales probably doesn't have the wiggle to find that hole. They needed a finisher, and if Trey Edmunds isn't redshirted, I think he gets that first down and forces the defense to work that much harder.

Finally, I think everyone in the stadium knew that on 3rd down the zone read was coming.

20:57–21:02

For those of you who have not played offensive line, when you pull you are dependent on the play side offensive linemen to make a call identifying the front so you know who to trap. Here, Benedict turns up and doesn't kick out the linebacker, who clearly is his assignment. If he makes contact on that backer, the Hokies score a touchdown. Communication? An error in recognizing the defensive front? Again, that falls on Curt Newsome and his teaching.

So, What is the Road Ahead?

I, along with all the fans, were enthused by the improved performance on Thursday night, but unlike most Virginia Tech fans, I don't think it is fait accompli that the Hokies beat BC and UVA to make a bowl. Making a bowl this season is perhaps even more critical than last year. It provides several additional weeks of practice to get Mark Shuman, Laurence Gibson, and the young receivers and defensive backs ready for their first test against Alabama next season. It allows Coach Beamer to also work on weeding out some of the deadwood currently on the roster, and perhaps it would allow the Hokies to make changes to the offensive staff and have them participate in bowl preparations.

But, I don't think it is going to happen. Manning's possible dismissal, Davis' YouTube infamy, and Antone Exum's Tweets about recording a music video makes me feel like this is still a distracted team which gave a maximum effort against the Seminoles that was not rewarded. Boston College, with the noon kickoff and a half-full stadium, gives the perfect environment for a huge letdown. I hate that I have reached that point, and I hope that I am wrong, but I expect the season to reach its nadir on the turf of Chestnut Hill.

Comments

Can't wait for the film sessions every week so I can raise my football IQ. It's a damn shame that we missed that block in the redzone on the final drive... Even though FSU still would have had time left to potentially drive for the win, scoring a TD there would have been much more demoralizing for them than simply posting a field goal.

I think that another thing that needs to be mentioned here, besides the missed block, is the lack of execution by Logan to run down the clock in our second to last drive of the game. On Florida State's half of the field he was snapping the ball with double digits left on the play clock.

Great job on the video breakdowns all year Billdozer. Effort like that and from the rest of the guys putting together this site is one reason Tech is known for having some of the best/most knowledgeable fans in college football. Thanks!

Well done French. The dunce cap reference along with the bullfighter Antonio Ordóñez is pure gold. My question about making the bowl game is does Beamer actually give the younger guys meaningful playing time against another team or does he stay loyal to his seniors to bring home the meinike car car trophy to add to our trophy case?

...it's a traditional RB Screen pass. Wang, presumably, was passing his guy thru with some force, hopefully out of harms way. The problem was that his mountain of a QB was standing right where he threw his passing DT.

But...

Why...and I mean WHY...are we so awful at screen plays? It is a staple of college football, has been for 30+ years now. Every team runs screen passes. Why are we so bad at it?

J.C. slips out of the backfield to the bottom of the screen and the play side linemen block for a count, then try to release downfield. I don't think Wang is supposed to release on that play, and if he is, he needs to hold the block longer.

As a guard in high school, the way I was coached was: a) if play side, step in bucket, hold my block for a 3 count, then release down field in front of the flat and block the first defender that crossed my face, b) if back side, block for a 3 count then go way down field and try to throw a block at the next level.

I don't think Wang was releasing from a block he was in control of. He was on skates way too early in the play, tried to ole the defender out of the play, never looked to get up field, then when he saw the fumble he ran back to LT3.

It really is amazing watching us butcher RB screens. The OL doesn't have the feel for blocking for a count and releasing. The QB's don't have a feel for the location and pace of the pass. The TBs may be in the wrong location or aren't balancing looking up field with actually catching the pass. It's a clustertruck.

for the average beer swillin' ball watchin' fans like me these articles have taught me more about x's and o's then i've picked up in a lifetime of watching football. i remember reading the first one of these about bud's defense in the offseason and then watching a replay of the sugar bowl on espnu. i was like, "look at that! they're funneling the ball carrier to a tackler just like french said. i never noticed that before." so super propers to both of you dedicated gentlemen.

"I promise you I will keep getting back up as long as you keep pushing forward." -Michael Brewer
"That kid you're talking to right there, I think he played his nuts off! And you can quote me on that shit!" -Bud Foster

My favorite part of the week. I get excited as soon as I see a Frenchie post. Thanks for the hard work and the info. It's nice to actually be able to see things during the games and have a greater understanding of what the true reason a play failed is, instead of sitting there with my impression of the who farted face.

I said two things to my friends at the game before the third down play on Tech's last scoring drive. 1) We need a touchdown, not a field goal b/c FSU will move the ball and has a great kicker and 2) I bet we run a zone read which ends up failing.

I also noticed that towards the end of the game, Asante was on the field more than in the past. I wonder if he will get increased playing time to end the season as our two starting seniors from the beginning of the year continue to slack off.

I will have to reread it tomorrow. I share your dread of the BC game. It has let down written all over it. One question for anybody from someone who has never played football. The catch that Marcus Davis dropped that would have kept a drive alive late in the game (All I remember was that it was towards the sideline and the ball appeared to hit him in the hands). How hard of a catch is that to make?

I couldn't make that catch, but a 6'5 guy who has been learning the receiver position for 5 years, who has his measurables and talent, and who thinks he is an NFL receiver, should make that catch. Still, the Roberts short arm was the most frustrating. That guy was tough as nails versus Alabama a few years back. He is shot now.

Thank you guys so much for these. I look forward to these every week. They really are one of the highlights of the week. Not only do I get to hear what fans more knowledgeable than me saw, but I get to watch the game again. This game more so than others cause there was so much to really be happy with...........of course, there was plenty of bad too. I found myself in the stands with my family yelling the whole time, "Where the hell has Bud been hiding these guys!?" It was nice to see the D play the way they were built up in the off season. Alabama is gonna be a rough game, but if Bud pulls the magic out again like he did Thursday, man, we might actually have a good game to watch :) I was shocked with the receiver change announcement, but only because it came so late in the season. Davis has been lackluster most of the season.......WHY? This guy should be THE go-to man. And Roberts........oh, Roberts.....come on man. If you aren't gonna put forth the effort, step aside, we have some guys behind you that ,I'm sure, are gunning for some field time. I'm still a Logan supporter all the way, and that hasn't changed, but we gotta stop the 3rd/4th and Logan EVERY drive. It has become THE most predictable play in our book. I LOVED when he would run over people in 2011, but he hasn't really done that many times this season. I mean, personally, I don't think he can really get up to speed in the small amount of room he normally has to work with after the O line pinches in. There were a couple plays that he could have broken loose on Thursday, but by the time those plays developed to that point, the ball was either in the air or in the RB's hands. I won't start with the inconsistency on the passing. That's just a given at this point.

All in all, though, the complaints I had were the same ones we have had most of the season. Plus, this was a good effort for the most part, and a great game to watch, even better if you were in the stands. For the first time this season, I didn't see the student section start to dwindle down in the 1st quarter, everyone was there in the 4th, people rocked the stadium on defensive plays and tore it down on the 3rd and key plays. They were supportive on offense but quiet enough for the snap to be heard. The fans(for the first time this season, I felt) showed up and brought the team with them. The Hokie nation was loud, proud, and showed why "Thursday Night in Blacksburg" is such a big deal. Could we have won? Yes. Did we play like the team we should've been all season? Yes. I still hold that we can bring home the W against BC.

The coaches stubbornness to get the best players on the field has plagued us all year and this is even more evident now that they finally played them. This is seen at almost every position. The WR mess is well talked about, but Roberts should have been benched weeks ago and we all know about Davis. Corey Fuller and Knowles produce, so keep them on the field and if Roberts isn't producing give someone else a shot. At Rb it took the coaches weeks to realize that Holmes wasn't producing. On the interior Line, they continue to play Wang for god knows what reason. At TE, they have Eric Martin playing during blocking situations when he is clearly a worse blocker than even Marcus Davis. Are you telling me that you can't put Redman, Perez-Means, or mcCray in there to block? At DE, Collins hadn't done anything, while Tyrel Wilson has had major production in limited minutes and finally after 9 games he gets a start. The Whip has been non-existent this year, while Tweedy had been riding the bench. Their rational for not playing him makes no sense, stating that mentally he doesn't understand some packages. Wouldn't the same apply to RVD and Michael Cole? Put him in a position where he can succeed, he has always been a gamer whenever he has played. However, the single most baffling personnel move goes to coach FB himself for continuing to play Abbott on kickoffs when the other team is getting the ball at the 35+ every position. Branthover was kicking TBs and not giving the other team a chance to return it. While Abbott has been doing kick offs, we have giving up a TD and multiple long returns.

Additional Thoughts:
- More of the same inconsistencies and not making plays are why we lost this game. LT missing easy throws, linemen and Wrs missing easy blocks, not making the tough plays like dropping INTs, not scooping up fumbles, and Marcus Davis being Marcus Davis.
- Despite his Fouls, I am very excited about exum. He has improved so much since the start of the season and he always is in the WR hip pocket. He just needs to work on his technique when the ball is in the air.
- I hope Kyle Fullers injuries are the reason for his poor play, or else next year we need an answer at the 2nd corner spot.
- Coleman running the Digg route against a Lb is unstoppable if LT can ever consistently make the throw.
- Tony Gregory deserves more Playing time for his effort.
- The isolated FB out routes need to be erased from the play book.

thing about that fb out is it seems he's always open on it, we just can't seem to complete the damn pass to save our lives.

"I promise you I will keep getting back up as long as you keep pushing forward." -Michael Brewer
"That kid you're talking to right there, I think he played his nuts off! And you can quote me on that shit!" -Bud Foster

Disagree. With the exception of the overthrow against Miami, the fullback is never open. They have ran the fullback clear out at least 8 times starting with the Clemson game. It has only been open once, with Logan getting picked once and most of the time he pulls it down and runs. I almost think it is a run/pass option, with the fullback pulling the linebacker out to open a lane, but it doesn't leave a much room for error, especially with Phillips being so limited as a receiver.

I know that it seems odd that Logan Thomas missed so many critical throws in the first half, and here I am throwing the offensive line and the wide receivers under the bus again. I thought Logan played an inspired game effort wise, but again, his recognition is beyond slow at this point, and he continues to completely lock on to receivers. His first INT on the Fuller crossing route was the only play where he clearly was going to his 3rd option. He was still late, as Fuller was open between the hashes but Thomas threw the longer ball to the sidelines, giving the FSU db time to recover and intercept the ball.

I am working to bring in a friend who coaches quarterbacks at the Division III level to watch the film with me and give me feedback. I feel like I have a basic grasp of the fundamentals of quarterback play, but I am nowhere close to being an expert. I will do a long post either in the offseason or in between the regular season and any bowl game with his feedback.

everybody in the stadium saw that first pick happen before he threw it. he stared fuller down all the way across the field, he was clearly covered and bam, logan throws it anyways. groan

"I promise you I will keep getting back up as long as you keep pushing forward." -Michael Brewer
"That kid you're talking to right there, I think he played his nuts off! And you can quote me on that shit!" -Bud Foster